Kindle Fire

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Club 33

Club 33 is a private club located in the heart of the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Originally maintained as a secret feature of the theme park, the entrance of the club was formerly located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at "33 Royal Street" with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it. Following a major remodel in 2014, the entrance was relocated to the intersection of Royal Street and Orleans Street in New Orleans Square opposite the La Mascarade d'Orleans shop.

Club 33 members and their guests have exclusive access to the club, which is not open to the public. In addition to beer and wine, Club 33 has a full bar, although patrons must order directly from their server rather than the service bar. Club 33 is the only location within Disneyland Park to offer alcoholic beverages, although the park has a park-wide liquor license and has set up bars for private events—and alcohol is served at several locations within Disney California Adventure (DCA). However, DCA is a separate amusement park with its own admission turnstiles, so the tradition remains that alcohol is not available within Disneyland Park itself during normal operating hours.

Members receive identification cards valid to receive Club 33 benefits and have the ability to designate themselves and/or others to receive Premier Passports valid for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Gold members receive two Premier Passes and Platinum members receive four Premier passes. In addition, their Club 33 membership card grants them access to early park admission several days each week, as long as they and their (up to three) accompanying guests have an accompanying annual pass or day passport. Members are entitled to complimentary valet parking at the Grand Californian Hotel and access to the Lilly Belle, the Presidential Car on the Disneyland Railroad. Club 33 members receive 12 Immediate Fastpasses for Gold Members and 24 Fastpasses for Platinum Members when they check in with Club 33 services. Members are permitted to join the skipper in the wheelhouse of the Mark Twain and the engineers in the engine compartment of the steam trains. Platinum members also receive Disney Cast Member escorts throughout their day at the parks.

The original door to Club 33 at Disneyland prior to the major 2014 remodel. The new door is more prominently marked and located across from the La Mascarade d'Orleans shop.

Of the many stories regarding the origin of the name of Club 33, two stories are the most prominent. The first and official explanation states Club 33 gets its name solely from its address of 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. The Building was constructed by Liam Quick & James Jeffs of JQ Construction in the late 1960s.

A second and less well known story speculates the name honors there being 33 corporate sponsors at Disneyland in 1966-1967 when the club was being built and opened.